This invention relates to explosive devices and more particularly to explosive devices for breaching barriers.
Barriers (doors, walls, etc.) made of materials such as steel, rolled homogenous armor, or steel-reinforced concrete are difficult to breach by conventional techniques. Explosive charges must be placed direct against the barrier and very large charges are required to breach the barrier. Frequently, concrete is blown away but an impassible net of steel reinforcement bars is left in place.
Flying metal plates have been used to cut clean holes in steel, armor, or steel reinforced concrete. The steel bars reinforcing the concrete are cut away with the concrete. However, some residual steel bars may be retained in the concrete. Relatively small charges of explosive are used and the damage is substantially confined to the portion of the barrier being breached. Even so a flying plate device which will produce a suitably large entry hole will be very heavy and difficult to handle. For example, a flying plate device weighing about 175 pounds is needed to produce a 24 inch diameter hole in 1.2 inch thick rolled homogeneous armor. It would be desirable to provide a device that will produce the same hole but which is much lighter and easier to carry.